Auramenta

A private journal to make sense of how you feel. Write freely, log your mood, and notice patterns in your own words. Analysis runs on your phone. No account needed.

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Inspiration

I started Auramenta during a difficult year. I wanted somewhere to write freely, then look back and notice what kept coming up.

What it does

Auramenta is a private journal for iPhone. Write an entry, record a voice note, add a photo, or log a mood. The app highlights recurring words and patterns over time, including associations between logged activities and mood.

Analysis runs on your phone. Journal text is stored in an encrypted database, and no account is required. Photos and voice notes stay in local files. Auramenta+ includes optional iCloud backup, encrypted before it leaves the device. Your journal entries are not sent to me.

The app supports English, Portuguese, German, Spanish, French, and Italian, with separate US and UK English and European and Brazilian Portuguese settings. The demo uses fictional journal history recorded in the app. Its charts are calculated from those sample entries. A fresh installation starts without that history.

How I built it

I built Auramenta with React Native, Expo, custom native modules, TypeScript, and Redux. SQLite with SQLCipher stores the journal. The analysis uses hand-written phrase rules, shared code, and language-specific vocabulary. Regional rules account for differences such as British idioms and Brazilian Portuguese. Journal analysis does not call an LLM or an external AI service.

RevenueCat manages the Auramenta+ monthly and annual subscriptions. Writing and the core pattern features are free. The subscription adds deeper analysis, more customization, and encrypted iCloud backup.

Challenges I ran into

Language was the hardest part. A phrase can change meaning with a negation, a quotation, or the words around it. Regional vocabulary needed its own rules and tests. Shared code helped keep the behavior consistent without treating every language as English with different labels.

I also had to decide how much to show. A pattern based on a few entries needs context. The app shows observations and confidence where available, leaving room for the person writing to decide what matters.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I built and shipped Auramenta alone over three years, around a day job. The first public version reached the App Store on August 17, 2026. Version 1.0.5 is now available, with 30 free writing prompts, a free weekly word cloud, and fixes for writing, backups and restoring purchases. PIN protection, complete open-format export, deletion, and crisis resources are available without a subscription.

The launch received coverage from MacMagazine on September 3 and The Next Big Idea on September 7. That article was republished by SAPO / 24 Notícias on September 17. On September 18, PCGuia featured Auramenta as App do Dia, and I joined RTP Mundo's Isto Faz-se Por Cá for a 17-minute interview about the app. These Portuguese-language pieces cover the launch and the idea of private journaling. I do not yet know whether they brought in paid subscriptions.

On September 22, iPhoneItalia published a review by Giuseppe Migliorino. The Italian-language article covers private journaling, on-device analysis and Auramenta+.

Public feedback also changed the app. In the Product Hunt launch discussion, a participant pointed out that a local helpline could be listed but outdated. I made the worldwide directory available alongside local numbers and posted an August 19 follow-up. Version 1.0.1 shipped that change on August 24.

What I learned

I learned to test the installed build, especially purchases, permissions and restoring a backup. For language analysis, I also needed tests for phrases the app should leave alone, such as a quotation or a negated statement.

What's next for Auramenta

Android is planned for Q4 2026. On iOS, I am working through early feedback and testing how I explain the app on its store page. I also need to learn how many people keep using it after their first few entries.

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Updates

posted an update —

Auramenta 1.0.5 is now available on the App Store.

This release adds 30 free writing prompts for those moments when you want to write but don't know where to start. The weekly word cloud is now free too, so you can see which words keep coming up in your entries without an Auramenta+ subscription.

I also fixed issues with editing entries, swipe gestures, backups, reminders and restoring purchases. Some of these are small fixes, but they matter when you're using the app every day.

The screenshots here now match the latest App Store images. The demo was recorded before this release, so it still shows the weekly word cloud as part of Auramenta+.

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posted an update —

September 19, 2026: version 1.0.4 and new coverage

Auramenta 1.0.4 reached the App Store on September 15. The app remains a private journal for iPhone, with analysis on the phone and no account needed.

On September 18, I joined RTP Mundo's Isto Faz-se Por Cá for a 17-minute interview about Auramenta. The episode is in Portuguese: https://www.rtp.pt/play/p6403/e954778/isto-faz-se-por-ca

PCGuia also featured Auramenta as App do Dia on September 18. This Portuguese-language article introduces the app and includes screenshots: https://www.pcguia.pt/2026/09/app-do-dia-auramenta-diario-privado/

On September 17, SAPO / 24 Notícias republished Gabriel Lagoa's September 7 article for The Next Big Idea, bringing that launch story to another outlet: https://24noticias.sapo.pt/atualidade/artigos/a-app-de-diario-portuguesa-que-analisa-os-padroes-de-quem-escreve

The project story now includes these milestones alongside the Product Hunt feedback that led to the helpline-directory improvement shipped in 1.0.1. I am continuing to learn from early feedback and measure what helps people keep using the app.

Shipaton

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Submission history